NYCFC's Dome Torrent looks to spoil Atlanta's counter, tactics vs. Moralez

 New York City FC need to score. That much is clear.

One goal could mean extra time. Two goals could mean advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

And when NYCFC need offensive production, it usually comes from David Villa or Maxi Moralez or both.

The Cityzens’ Designated Players were quiet in a 1-0 loss to Atlanta United in the opening leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals last Sunday at Yankee Stadium.

Fellow Argentine Eric Remedi man-marked Moralez, the club’s points leader this season with eight goals and 16 assists. And when the diminutive Moralez was able to wriggle away from Remedi and find an inch of space, more often than not he was chopped down, the victim of professional fouls.

Of Atlanta’s 21 fouls, a game-high six were suffered by Moralez. Only nine players have been fouled more in a match this season, according to Opta.

“It’s not possible to play because when we try to play, especially Maxi, it’s foul and foul and foul and foul,” NYCFC coach Dome Torrent said after training Thursday. “Every single ball is foul after that. But we have a referee. It’s the same when they waste the time because that can happen in Atlanta.”

As a result, Torrent said, Villa was left to occupy three defenders by himself. The NYCFC captain had four shots, but none on frame as NYCFC failed to produce a shot on goal for the first time in club history.

Moralez roamed out wide from his usual No. 10 spot and played more like a winger in the second half in order to find more space.

“We had a plan in the first game against Atlanta, but we didn’t play well in that way,” Torrent said. “I say to Maxi, when we have the ball you have to play wide because normally when they defend man-to-man, you have to go right and create the space.”

Torrent expects similar tactics from Atlanta, who return home with the all-important away goal. They’ll defend with numbers and try to counter quickly, the Spaniard said.

“They defend with eight and attack with two. When they recover the ball, they play all the time long ball with [Josef] Martinez and [Miguel] Almiron,” Torrent said. “We practice this week two or three different ways to play against them because sometimes they play with a 5-2-2-1, sometimes they play 5-3-2 and we have to be ready to play in different ways.”

With NYCFC needing an away goal of their own, central defender Alex Callens knows his team will throw numbers forward. As for that vaunted counterattack, the Peruvian international is ready.

“At training we’ve been very focused, we’ve been working hard this week to prepare for [Atlanta’s counterattack],” he said through a translator. “We know that Martinez, Almiron and [Hector] Villalba are very fast players, but we know that we’ll be able to focus with our style and we’ll play the way that we need to play.”

Whatever tactics Torrent decides to deploy — he kept that secret by closing off that portion of training from reporters on Thursday — the consensus among the NYCFC players is that a better effort from all XI players is needed to make a monumental comeback and reach the Eastern Conference Championship for the first time in club history.

“I think we have to look at ourselves,” fullback Anton Tinnerholm said. “We, as a team, have to perform at 100 percent. Every player has to look at themselves and every player has to reach the top that we can do. … If every single player can reach the high level we can do, then we’re going to make it. It’s simple like that.”